Television personalities are being asked to help a £35m campaign to buy the historic Tyntesfield Estate near Bristol.

The huge Victorian property, which stands in 500 acres of land, comes up for auction in June and among those reported to be interested in bidding against the National Trust for ownership are pop stars Madonna and Kylie Minogue.

On Tuesday, the Save Tyntesfield Campaign is launched with support from the designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, newsreader Jon Snow and a number of top architects and historians.

To be successful, the campaign needs to raise £20m by the middle of June with almost the same amount needed to ensure the estate's continued protection.

'Spectacular place'

Launching the Save Tyntesfield Campaign, the Director-General for the National Trust Fiona Reynolds, said: "We have received overwhelming support to save this property.

The Changing Rooms star calls the estate 'fantastic'

"Tyntesfield is of national importance; we simply cannot stand back and let this spectacular place be broken up and lost forever.

"We are appealing to our supporters, members and other heritage bodies to secure the long-term future of this unique estate.

"However, time is not on our side on this matter.

"We only have until mid-June to place a firm bid for the estate and contents."